We left Koh Tao by ferry and this time the sea was so calm that there wasn't any sea sickness. We then flew from Koh Samui to Penang. Samui airport was amazing and beautiful as it was setup as an outdoor airport with lots of open air areas, including the gates.
We rented a house in Penang for 3 nights in the Pulau Tikus neighborhood. It was a quaint old home just behind the famous Gurney drive on the ocean front, so we weren't in the heart of Georgetown, which is the main town on Penang island. Georgetown is a UNESCO world Heritage city. We spent the first night hanging out at Mr. Pot (a 24hr cafe on the water front) and got our first taste of malaysian noodle soup....spicy....This became our favorite spot as we had breakfast the next day and drinks late into the following night. The house was on 2 floors but the one toilet and shower were on the main floor so a bit inconvenient. Penang was hot and humid so every building was air conditioned to the max....
Day 1 in Penang was spent sleeping in, exploring Gurney drive and the malls and upscale businesses on the drive. This area was really nice and liveable with all the western amenities. And I finally introduced Meghna to bubble tea, a new obsession that would dominate in Malaysia.....That night we ate at the Pulau Tikus hawker market. These markets are everywhere in Penang and are essentially food stalls with multiple vendors, common table cleaners and dishes. Very well organized as you order, sit and they bring your food to you and then you pay. The drinks guy is responsible for cleaning the tables as he has the least amount of food prep to do. Ice is centrally distributed in Penang so it is sanitary. We tried sushi, laksa and satay. Meghna had a mild reaction to what we think was shrimp paste (sambal bechalan) in the laksa. So we went to Mr. Pot for some comfort food. Ended up sitting there for 3 hrs enjoying the free wifi and some wine. The manager was very friendly and we had a good chat.
Next day we visited 2 Buddhist temples that are just behind the house we rented. One was a Thai temple with supposedly the largest reclining Buddha. The other was a Burmese one. By now I was templed out after Siem Reap and Bagan but Meghna continued to be amazed. After temple watching we took a local bus to one of the beaches on the island called Batu Ferringi which loosely translated is Foreigners beach. Buses in Malaysia are federally controlled so are great. The bus was so full that I had no hope of getting on but the driver and conductor left no man behind. People were friendly and honestly paid their fare even when asked to board using the back door....the ride allowed us to see the seaside. The beach was great with one unique thing....Malay ladies entering the water with full clothes and hijab. We hung out on the beach, did some shopping at a huge night market, ate food at a huge hawker market. I splurged and had a prawn dish for $10. Majority of dishes at these hawker stalls are 30 cents to $3 and Malaysians hardly ever eat at home so society is very much hawker stalls based.
Next morning we packed and checked out and made our way to our next hotel in Georgetown. Spent the day touring around the town and did a self guided street art tour. The city is laid out really well for tourists and there is so much to see. Over 20 spots with street art, and many historical spots were marked with wrought iron depictions. So we spent the day visiting these spots and got a good sense of the city. Had lunch in little India which Is just like being in tamil nadu. Majority of Indians here see to be Muslim. In the evening we met a colleague of mine, Sultan, who is stationed in Penang at my company's contract manufacturer (something I'd like to do). His wife, Margaret, joined us so the 4 of us spent 5 hrs that night making our way to a Chinese hawker stall, then an Indian restaurant and then a Malay hawker stall so that we tried all 3 cuisines
On our last day we continued to explore the
city and walk around aimlessly. In the afternoon we went to get a tour of
Venture, which is my company's contract manufacturer. Then we flew to
Kuala Lumpur that evening to meet up with friends from Canada to celebrate
NYE.
Memories include passion fruit bubble tea, roti canai at mohammad raffe
restaurant, horrible ice kacang with durian ice cream, trying all the
different foods at the hawker stalls, beers at batu ferringhi , Mr. Pot
cafe, Street art in Georgetown, famous Cendol dessert, our home on bangkok
lane, mee goreng at the hawker stall on bangkok lane. Penang was very
enjoyable and a pleasant way to end our trip. Hopefully we can move
here....
I tried over 80% of the recommended street food items including
Char Koay Teow
Chee Cheong Fun
Nasi Kandar
Penang Laksa, Asam Laksa
Mee Goreng
Cendol
Fried Oyster
Seafood - shrimps and clams
Wan Tan Mee
Ice Kacang
Roti Canai
